Held online, 11:00-12:00, Tue 10 Feb 2026
Speakers:
Prof. Janet Orchard, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion in Teacher Education at the University of Bristol
Dr Naomi Hodgson, Reader in Educational Philosophy & Theory at Edge Hill University
Anna Park, Edge Hill University and Leeds Trinity University
Cathy Shail, University of Bristol
Educational researchers are often encouraged to reflect on their ‘philosophical positioning’, i.e. the ontological, epistemological and axiological (ethical) assumptions that underpin their research design. Meanwhile, in recent years in anglophone educational research departments, using philosophy as a ‘method’ in its own right, as opposed to a tool supporting empirical research, has tended to go out of fashion. A group identifying as philosophers of education, including current doctoral researchers and their supervisors, seek to demonstrate the benefits and attractions of continuing to work philosophically, sometimes treating the existing literature as priori data to be analysed, at other times working in partnership with empirical research. They showcase a range of distinctive philosophical perspectives, including examples from hermeneutical/analytical (Janet Orchard and Cat Shail) and critical/post-structuralist (Naomi Hodgson and Anna Park) traditions. This event is aimed at doctoral researchers at any stage who would like to hear more from enthusiasts of the theoretical on how to think more abstractly about data analysis in research.